Antifraud means for tanks



Mrch 19, 1929. I Q F, BERTsCl-"NGER 1,705,633

ANTIFRAUD MEANS FOR TANKS Filed May 27, 1926 2 Sheets-.Sheet l j m. '7 Ano/mfr 4,74 j By 2% March 19, 1929.

c.\ F. BERTSCHINGER 1,705,633

`ANTIFRAUD MEANS FORv TANKS Filed May 27'. 192e l 2 sheets-sheet 2 NIH *..glml

INVENYUH Arrofmgr ET E i, y es CHARLES F. BERTSCHINGER, 0F JAMAICA, N EW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO TIDE WATER OIL COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY,.'A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

" Application led May 27,

The pumps or dispensing stands serving branded gasoline at tilling stations are connected with underground tanks oflarge capacity, the contents of whichmust be gauged atintervals by means of a rodor stick'through a pipe which extends upward from the tank to a box at the ground level. Much fraud has been practised upon the'public and the reputable oil companies whose'gasoline is sold fronithese pumps by the filling of the tanks with cheap, inferior fuel. The purpose lof 'this invention isto provide an advantageous filling and gauging means, or in some in'- stances a gauging means alone, whichpermits such tanks to be gauged, but which pievents, or effectively discourages, unauthorized filling, and which does not require that the gauge rod remain in the tank.

In the accompanying drawings forming part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a View partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of a portion of one of these underground tanks, a gauge and'till pipe rising therefrom, thehead on the upper r end of the pipe, and the gauge rod inserted,

the upper end of the gaugerod being broken away and intermediate portions of the rod and pipe and tank, being broken out because of the limits of space; I f

Fig. 2 is a sectional 'elevation of the upper end of the pipe and the headthereon, ,showing the upper opening of saidy head closed by a plug, which has been reinovedin Fig, 1 Y

Fig. 3

the head in a box at the ground level;

`Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing .a modificatiomand y n Y- i Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, further illustrating this'inodilication. l The drawings illustrate a tank 2 buried in rthe earth, this tankbeing the reservoir of a gasoline pump, not shown. Such tanks have capacities ranging from live hundred and fifty gallons to` a thousand gallons. A pipe 3 rises from the tank through the ground to a boxtat the ground level. n y

In Figs. 1', 2 and 3, /afitt-ing -is screwed on the upper end of saidA pipe, and is sealed againstV unauthorized removal therefrom, preferably by meansv of set-'screwsl 6 anda lead seal 7 connecting the screws. Theenlarged upper portion 8v of said fittingfis provided with an internal screw-thread'to receive a removable filling cap 9. This capis joint.'

Y is an elevation on asmaller'scalez showingl the tank in the earth, the pipe, and

ANTIFRAUD MEANS FOR TANKS.

1926. Serin No. ,111,942.1

and'of the fitting are 'provided with a suitable number of openingsp13, adapted to register and to receive thewire or strap of a.

lead seal .14, which locks the cap against unauthorized removal, so that the tank may not be filled by any one other' than a representative of the proper yoil co1npany, who .is

equipped'with'means for restoring the seal.V

A gasket 3() compressedbetween the' cap and the fitting excludes any water that might otherwise seep through the separable screw vThe 'cap 9 hasa sin'all'opening 15 through its top in to the rinterior of the chamber 10, this openingbeing Iprovided With a closure 16 inthe forinI of a screw plug. rlhe bottom v 17 of the chamber slopes downward 'from yall ksides to' a lower opening 18 directly beneath the openingV 15, andv this opening is normally guarded byia ball 19, which can,` however, be

pushed to one side in the chamber, away from the opeiiinglS, as seen in Fig. l. n

In order to fill'the tank, the cap 9 coiitaining the ball 19 isvremove'd'froin the fitting;

Vand Aafter the filling has beenaccomplished .the seal 14 is restored,so that the taiik'may not be filled thereafter with bootleg gasoline.'

Tphe filling` station man can, however, measure the contents of the tank by removing the plug 16 and inserting a long gauge rod 20 downward from above,ftlirough the small openings 15 and 18, the chamber 1() andthe pipe 73, into the tank. ln so doing, the lower endv of the rod, afterit has been introduced y through'the upper opening 1,5.is manipulated to push the ball to one side, uncovering the opening 18 for its further passage, the chamber being designed to accommodate thegvball at one side of the rod, as shown. The rod is then withdrawn, thel height of` the" :liquid sure 16 is replaced. The opening 15 is too small to admit the end of a rhose through which these tanks are filled from drums or tank trucks, and the ball 19 would so close or obstruct any flow of liquid inward and es. cape'otdisplaced air outward through the ,trace thereon is noted, andthe gauging clo- Y openings that itwouldbe impossible to fill i the tank in this manner with alarge bulk-of `gasoline without consuming suchv an excesiio siveainount of time and involving so much loss of gasoline through overflow that it would not pay to attempt the fraud upon a y `tank thus safeguarded.

ball-'chamber 10,.like the ball chamber of the other views, having the upper and lower openings V and 18, and the sloping bottom 17, the upper opening closable by the plug 16. The structure 21is shown made inftwo parts, comprising .a fitting 22,. which is connected to the pipe l3a and has the bottom 17 formed in it, andan upper part 23 which is `screwed to the lower part against ,anv interposed 'water-excluding gasket 24. The two parts are sealed'together by a seal 25; Orthe parts might be permanently united, or they7 might be vmade integral.

Itis an advantage to keep the gauge iod ordinarily out of the tank, since the true reading is not obscured by creepage of the liquid con the rod or by Acondensation thereon. A wooden stick, if'i't stands indefinitely inthe tank, tends to becomesaturated with the gasoline, withthe result that the apparent depth'of liquid showin on the stick lmay be greater than the actual depth. `However, .the rod, `more particularly a metal rod, could be left in -the pipe and tank, if desired, in which event the rod should'be short enough so that when resting on the bottom of the tank its upper end would be' beneath the closure 16. The ball would be kept at one side'of the chamber 10, in readiness to roll ydown into the seat of the openingv18 as soon as the stick should 'be withdrawn. ,a

VIt will be' .understood 'that `there maybe various lchanges in` details, without depart- .ingff'romessentials The ball is'anembod-i- `ment of an automatic device, or a valve,

which guards the gauge rodpassage` against unauthorized filling through it into the tank, wlile permitting the insertion of the gauge ro y While the invention isjpai'ticularly adaptedlforprevention of fraud in connection with underground tanks', itsv application to other .stationary storage tanks is not excluded.

- I claim:' y

v 1.` In combination. with-an underground tank Vand 'a pipe eid-.ending upward therefrom, a head, on the upper end of said pipe containing a Aball chamber having small up- 'pcr and lower openings forming' part of aA through way for `the insertion ofa gauge rod intothe tank, a ball 'in'said chamber adapted to guard the lower of said openings which communicates with the pipe, and a gauge rod adapted to pass through said openings and chamber 'into kth'epipe and tank,` the ball being displaceableby said rod. I

52,. In an underground tanl 'having a pipe extending upward therefrom, a head on theV upper end of said pipe containing a ball chamber havin'g'small upper and lower openings, means for sealing the head against tampering, and a ball in said chamber guarding the lower of said openings, said openings `and chamber forming part cfa through way for the insertion of a gauge rod intothe tank, said ball being adapted to. be displaced by said rod. y

3. In an underground tank having a pipe extending-upward therefrom, a filling closure on the upper end of said pipe, said closure containing a ball chamber having small vupper and lower openings, and a ball in said chamber guarding the lower of said openings, said openings and 'chamber forming part of a through way forthe insertion of a gauge rod into the tank, said ball being adapted tov be displaced by said rod. i

l. VIna device of the character stated, a clo- VSure arranged for attachment -to rthe vinlet cnd of a tank filling `pip!e,"a locking device to prevent removal of said closure, means in said closuie forming a restricted passage for unauthorized removal 'from the pipe', aremovable filling closure carried by said fitting, means .for securement of said closure 'against unauthorized removal from the fitting, said 1'10 filling closure containing a ball chamber having small upper and lowerjopeningsyaiid a.

ball in said chamber guarding the "lower of said'openings against lling through theclosure, said openings and' chamber forming part `115 v of va through way for thezinsertion of al gauge Arod into the tank,`said"ba"ll being adapted to be displaced by said rod.l

6. Anti-fraud means for guardinga gaug-L ing entrance to a storage tank, comprising a in'emberapplied tothe'entrance and containing a ball chamber having small upperand lower openings forming part of a through way foritlie inserti'onxof a gauge rodv into Athe v 'interior of the tank, the lower/of said'openings affording a ball-valve seat, andv a ball guarding said opening against filling,` said 'ball adapted t'obe pushed asidein thecham- A 'bei' by the insertion Aof th'e'gauge rod.

7. Anti-fraud 4means for guarding a `gaugiso ing entrance to a storage tank, comprising a member applied to the entrance and containing a ball chamber having small upper and lower openings forming part of a through way for the insertion of a gauge rod into the interior ofthe tank, means for closing the upper of said openings, and a ball in said chamber resting in the lower opening and adapted to guard against filling through said member, said ball adapted to be displaced by the insertion of the gauge rod.

8. Anti-fraud means for guarding the en trance to a storage tank, comprising a member guarding the entrance and containing a ball chamber having small upper and lower openings forming part of a through way for the passage of a gauge rod, means forse curement of said member against unauthorized removal, a ball in said chamber adapted to guard the lower of said openings against lilling through the member, said ball adapted to be displaced by the gauge rod.

9. Anti-fraud means comprising a fitting adapted to be applied to the fill and gauge entrance of a storage tank, a hollow member carried by said fitting and movable to open the entrance for filling, means for securement of' said member against unauthorized opening of the entrance, said member containing a ball chamber having restricted upper and lower openings forming part or a through way for the passage of a gauge rod, and a ball in said chamber guarding the lower of said openings against filling through the member, said ball adapted to be displaced by the gauge rod. l

l0. Anti-fraud means comprising a litting adapted to beapplied to a fill andggauge en- Y trance of a tank, a member carried by said fitting and movable to open the entrance, means for securement of said member against unauthorized opening of the entrance, said member provided with' a restricted passage for a gauge rod, and an automatic device carried by said member adapted to guard against fraudulent filling through said passage while 12. In a device of the charaeterstated,

closure arranged for attachment to the inlet end of a tank filling pipe, a locking device to Y prevent'v removal of' said closure, means in said closure orming a restricted passage for the insertion oi a rod to measure thecontents i of the tank to which said filling -pipe connects, and valve means arranged to close said passage to the flow of liquid..

13.1n a device of the character stated, a

' closure arranged for attachment to the inlet end of a tank vfilling pipe, a locking device to prevent removal ot said closure, means in` said closure forming a restricted passage for the insertion of a rod to measure the contents of the tank to which said filling pipe connects, and valve means normally closing said passage and arranged to be opened by a rod passed through said passage.

CHARLES F. BERTSCHINGrER. 

